“It’s out,” Jongkook declared to no one, as he put his phone back in his pocket.

It felt exhilarating. After fending off news about the true nature of his relationship with Song Jihyo for so long, he was finally free from the pressure (and financial costs) of using his connections to keep everything under wraps. This time, he was not being hounded for a story. Instead, he and Jihyo’s agency drafted a statement of their upcoming wedding.

Earlier that year, Jongkook filmed his final episode on My Little Old Boy, and Runningman also celebrated their last episode. It was truly a wonderful run for all of them, and for their final episode, Bopil was able to do what everyone thought was impossible. He reunited the current members with Joongki, Lizzy, Gary, and Kwangsoo, in one final mission against the staff. It was a much anticipated episode, reaching the highest ratings for the show that year. 

During the closing, Jihyo and Somin cried, but that was expected. Still, considering that the show was ending anyway, Jongkook let his guard down and stuck by Jihyo, keeping her safe by putting his arm around her and allowing her to embrace him. To cover things up for their hyung, Donghoon instructed Sechan to stand by Somin, and allow her to cry on his shoulder, an offer that Somin didn’t reject.

Their cover-up, however, was destined for failure, because Gary was intent on rocking the boat. “Oh… Jongkook-hyung… is this how it is now on the show? Have you really replaced me?” he teased.

Not missing a beat, Jaesuk clasped Gary’s shoulder. “Well clearly, Gary-yah, you haven’t been watching the show. They’ve had something going on since last year!” he made it sound like a joke even when it was quite the nugget of truth. “Jongkook is Jihyo’s namchin and dream guy. He’s doing that because he wants to make her heart flutter!”

“Aish hyung!” Jongkook simply said, but he didn’t sound as angry as he would normally be when he was teased about lovelines. He didn’t leave Jihyo’s side either, keeping her close to his side, only opting to tell Jaesuk, “Geumanhe!”

Thankfully, the rest of the cast didn’t push it anymore. The former members, except Kwangsoo and Joongki (who discovered the secret from Kwangsoo), were not aware that Jihyo and Jongkook were already dating, and the couple didn’t feel inclined to tell them. Gary’s teasing was successfully diverted by Donghoon, who compared Jongkook and Jihyo to Somin and Sechan. “That’s how it is now, hyung,” Donghoon told Gary. “Since Kwangsoo left, the single members paired up. Let’s see after the show who’s going to survive.”

Jaesuk easily picked up the segue to talk to the cameras about the end of the show, thanking the fans for supporting them over the years and promising that all the members will continue to be active in their respective fields. Then, finally, when they felt it was time, they all bowed to the cameras, before closing in on each other in one big group hug. Since the cameras were on the stands, Seokjin signalled for the crew to join the group hug, and soon enough, Bopil, Chanhee, and the rest of the Runningman staff moved forward and found their own places in the circle.

The end of Runningman came at the right time for Jihyo and Jongkook, as they were in the middle of planning for their wedding. They knew getting married and staying on the show would be tricky, and they even had fights over who was going to quit between them. That was until they received a call from Bopil for a meeting, and the young producer revealed that the management decided to pull the plug on the show to make way for new material on the channel. It was bittersweet for the couple; they managed to skirt their way around their problem, but it came at the expense of one of their most prized work commitments. 

Still, they had to move on, and on the team dinner they had after the last filming day, Jongkook and Jihyo told the members and their trusted friends in the staff the news of their impending marriage. After all the congratulations they received, Jaesuk was immediately business-minded about matters, asking Jongkook how they planned to announce it. “Well, hyung, I did say in previous interviews that I’ll inform the public when I’m getting married already, so before Jihyo and I tie the knot, we’ll be releasing a statement. Don’t worry; we’ll wait for a few months after this episode gets released,” Jongkook explained.

That day finally arrived, and after weeks of preparation with Jihyo and her agency, the press releases had been sent the day before, and Jongkook already found the first article to put up the news. He was at the airport, waiting for Jihyo to arrive. She was still wrapping up a project, and they agreed to meet at the VIP lounge.

Jongkook felt at ease; this was the first time he was traveling with Jihyo openly. Of course, there were the trips abroad for Runningman. Then, there were those times where they’d meet with their friends in America, but they always made it a point to travel apart or to travel with other people to still appear inconspicuous, fearing that people would find out and fuss about them. Of course, they also tried to travel on their own while they were dating, but they followed strict rules for themselves, which ensured that their privacy was intact, but also sometimes came at the expense of their comfortability. But, now that the news was out, there was really no harm in people knowing they were taking a vacation in the US together, and were flying out of Seoul on the exact same flight. 

The door to the lounge opened, and in came Jihyo. Interestingly, despite not coordinating, they were both wearing black sweatshirts. It was the tailend of autumn, but they knew that Los Angeles was bound to be quite warm, so they unwittingly both opted to wear something they could easily take off when the American heat welcomed them. 

“Oppa!” she greeted him, plopping down on the couch beside him and letting her luggage stop where it would after she let go of the handle. 

Jongkook put his arm around her in a faux greeting, slightly moving down his mask to make himself audible, “How are you, my dear? Was it a difficult day?”

“Ani,” she answered immediately, letting her voice boom from behind the mask so she would be heard. “‘Twas okay. Thankfully, the director left the less complicated scenes for last, so if anything, we just took some walking shots for continuity today. But when we get back, that’s where the fun begins.”

Jongkook simply nodded, before adding, “Well, I’m glad to hear that. But just in case you need to rest, you have plenty of time on the plane. Plus, you have a bonus; you can use my arm as a pillow if you want.” Then, he playfully flexed his arm in front of her, giving her a smirk.

“Aish, geumanhe, oppa!” she chastised him, practically shoving his shoulder when she couldn’t take his sappiness. He just laughed at her. “What time’s our check-in?” she asked, when she was over the teasing.

“We have…” he said as he checked his watch. “We have about an hour before the counter closes. I talked to the staff here though, and they offered to be the one to leave our luggages at the baggage drop. I checked in online for both of us anyway.”

“That’s nice, because I’m famished. We should probably get something to eat,” she said, calling over one of the personnel so she could order food for both of them.

Just then, Jongkook’s phone rang. “Hyung!” he greeted once he saw who was on the screen.

“Jongkook-ah, what time are you and my little sister landing here?” the man said, and from the use of the Eng